Coast Guard locates overdue boaters off Ossabaw Island, Ga.

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. — The Coast Guard located two overdue boaters, Monday morning, approximately one mile east of Ossabaw Island, Ga.

Neither of the boaters reported any injuries.

A crew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Savannah spotted the couple aboard their disabled vessel, waving their arms and waving a flashlight. A rescue swimmer was lowered onto the vessel and the two boaters were hoisted into the helicopter. They were taken to Hunter Army Air Field in Savannah, Georgia.

A crew from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources took the disabled vessel to a safe haven.

“The close partnership and outstanding cooperation between the Coast Guard, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, numerous local government agencies and commercial partners led to locating these missing boaters and another successful rescue,” said Chief Warrant Officer Lee Heitner, a command duty officer with the Coast Guard Sector Charleston command center.

Both boaters had been reported overdue on Sunday. Coast Guard crews, along with local agency crews, had been searching Sunday afternoon and into the evening.

A concerned friend notified watchstanders in the Coast Guard Sector Charleston command center of the situation at approximately 5:19 p.m. The report stated the two people were aboard a 19-foot center console pleasure craft and had departed Richmond Hill for a day trip to Tybee Island, scheduled to return to Richmond Hill, Sunday. Watchstanders issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast to notify boaters in the area of the situation. A UMIB was also issued for St. Catherine’s Sound for sightings of the boat and the two missing people.

The crew aboard the Dolphin helicopter was launched to assist in the search. A crew from Coast Guard Station Tybee Island was also launched to assist in the search.

Crews from Savannah Marine Patrol and Chatham County Marine Patrol also assisted in the search.